Pubdate: Thu, 29 Dec 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Grant Robertson
Page: A1

PUBLIC NOT TOLD ABOUT BANNED PESTICIDE FOUND IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA

A controversial pesticide banned in Canada has been discovered in
products sold by a federally licensed medical marijuana producer, The
Globe and Mail has learned, but neither the company nor Health Canada
have informed the public.

Myclobutanil, a chemical that is also prohibited for use on legal
cannabis in Colorado, Washington State and Oregon because of health
concerns, was found in product recently recalled by Mettrum Ltd., a
Toronto-based medical marijuana company.

The pesticide is not approved for use on plants that are combusted,
such as tobacco or cannabis, and is known to emit hydrogen cyanide
when heated. Lawmakers in the three U.S. states moved quickly to ban
myclobutanil, in some cases enacting emergency legislation when they
discovered growers using it.

But the lack of public disclosure by Health Canada raises new
questions about what controls are in place to ensure the product is
free of contaminants and chemicals, particularly as the government
prepares to introduce legislation to legalize the drug for
recreational use next year)

A Globe investigation this summer called into question the
department's ability to detect potentially dangerous contaminants, and
revealed that Health Canada standards at the time did not require
testing for myclobutanil and other banned chemicals.

The Mettrum discovery was made recently, when a random screening of
the company's products by Health Canada turned up the unauthorized use
of pyrethrin, a pesticide derived from the chrysanthemum plant that is
also not approved for medical cannabis.

Mettrum issued a voluntary recall of the affected products on Nov. 1
and said the pyrethrin was used by mistake, because it was not listed
on the ingredients of a spray the company was using.

But when Health Canada performed further tests on the samples, it also
discovered they contained myclobutanil, which all producers know is a
banned substance. However, for reasons that are not immediately clear,
neither Health Canada nor Mettrum announced the findings to the public.

Instead, on Dec. 1, Mettrum issued a vague news release saying that
"as a result of further testing and working with the full co-operation
of Health Canada," the company was adding "a small number of
additional product lots" to its previous voluntary recall. The company
made no mention of myclobutanil.

It was only after The Globe was informed of automated phone messages
Mettrum left with some of its customers, which made passing reference
to myclobutanil during a lengthy recording, that a reporter called the
company's customer-service line to inquire.

A Mettrum employee said the recall was owing to a "nutrient spray"
that mistakenly contained pyrethrin. "We just want to be transparent,"
he said.

However, it was only after the employee was asked specifically if the
recall also involved myclobutanil that he acknowledged the more
controversial chemical had been found. "Yes, that was also included as
well," the Mettrum employee said.

When Mettrum was later asked why the company hasn't acknowledged the
discovery of the banned pesticide in a news release, the company said
in a statement to The Globe its plan to communicate only with
customers was approved by Health Canada. The company said only "trace
levels of myclobutanil" were found.

When asked why Health Canada did not provide disclosure to the broader
public, the department said it determined "exposure to the affected
cannabis products would not likely cause any adverse health
consequences," so no wider warning was necessary.

Health Canada did not explain how it determined there was no health
risk, since microbiologists and lawmakers in the United States
consider there to be no acceptable level of myclobutanil in cannabis.

Sold under the name Eagle 20 or Nova 40, the chemical is used to
control a pest known as powdery mildew in crops such as grapes and
berries, but is also known to be employed as a shortcut by illegal
cannabis grow-operations when a crop is threatened by an
infestation.

Myclobutanil is permitted in small doses on certain crops that are
eaten, since the chemical compounds are metabolized by the digestive
system and rendered non-toxic. It is also approved for crops that
don't retain high levels of pesticide residue as they grow.

However, cannabis is much different. Like tobacco, it is usually
smoked, not eaten, so any chemicals used on the plant are often
inhaled directly into the lungs, and make their way directly into the
bloodstream without being metabolized, or broken down, by the
digestive system. As well, cannabis, because of its unique makeup, is
known to retain more pesticide residue than many edible plants.

Policy makers in the United States acted quickly to clamp down on
myclobutanil use when it was discovered a few years ago. Washington
State enacted emergency legislation. In Colorado, the government
ordered mass recalls, raided production facilities and threatened
companies with large fines. Colorado also went public with the names
of producers caught using the chemical.

"Myclobutanil cleaves off hydrogen cyanide," Andrew Freedman, director
of marijuana co-ordination for the Colorado state government told The
Globe this summer. "So yeah, we were concerned."

"For us, it was a pretty easy answer. … If you can't prove it's safe,
then we shouldn't allow it to go out for human consumption," Mr.
Freedman said.

When Health Canada was asked by The Globe in September what the
government would do if a banned pesticide such as myclobutanil was
found in product grown by one of the country's 37 licensed medical
marijuana producers, the department said it had a zero-tolerance policy.

"If the department had reason to believe that a licensed producer was
using unauthorized pesticides or other chemicals, it would take
immediate enforcement action," Health Canada said at the time. Such
steps "could include detention of product, recalls or potentially
revoking the producer's licence," it said, referencing two banned
pesticides: myclobutanil and dodemorph.

A Globe investigation in September revealed that several unregulated
cannabis dispensaries in Vancouver had sold products containing
dodemorph, which is not approved "for any human use," and that Health
Canada was told of the problem. However, Health Canada did not act or
warn the public because it considers store-front dispensaries to be
illegal, although the government does not prevent them from operating.

Mettrum did not say how the myclobutanil ended up in its
product.

The use of potentially harmful chemicals in medical marijuana can be
hazardous since the product is considered medicine and is sometimes
used by patients with compromised immune systems. In Canada, there are
only 13 pesticides approved for use on medical cannabis.

Health Canada said in a statement that it is "looking at ways to make
all cannabis product recalls, regardless of the level of risk,
publicly available." The department did not say why such concerns
aren't made public now.
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MAP posted-by: Matt